Trump’s War on History Is Straight Out of Orwell’s 1984

On March 27, 2025, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14253, titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.” As Christians, we value truth—not just personal or political truth, but actual, God-honoring truth. And what this order does is not uphold truth but reshape it to fit a man-made narrative. It reeks of something far more dangerous: the prideful rewriting of history to serve an agenda, not to glorify God.

Scripture warns us against falsehoods disguised as righteousness. Isaiah 5:20 says, “What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark...” That’s exactly what happens when political power starts dictating what version of history is acceptable to tell. Under this executive order, federal museums like the Smithsonian must remove or revise exhibits that portray America's sins—like racism, injustice, or the mistreatment of Native peoples—if they’re seen as “divisive” or “anti-American.” But whitewashing history doesn’t bring healing. It hides the truth, and that’s not what God calls us to do.

Christianity teaches repentance, not denial. We believe in confessing our sins so we can be forgiven and restored (1 John 1:9). Nations, like people, must acknowledge wrongdoing if there’s ever to be justice or reconciliation. But instead of leading the country in humility and truth, this executive order tries to force a sanitized version of history that pretends America has nothing to repent of. That is not truth. That is idolatry—worship of a national image instead of the God who judges nations in righteousness.

George Orwell’s 1984 warned that controlling the past leads to controlling the future. The totalitarian regime in that book rewrote history daily to make the government look infallible. It’s chilling how close that sounds to this order. When the government decides what history is allowed to be told, truth becomes whatever those in power say it is. And when truth is no longer objective, evil becomes easier to justify.

As followers of Christ, we are called to be people of the truth. We must resist the temptation to exchange honest history for comforting lies. We should not be afraid of our nation’s past, but bring it to the light, so it can be redeemed. Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). This order doesn’t set anyone free—it tries to chain history to a false narrative that only serves human pride.

Let us stand for truth—not a truth shaped by political slogans or forced nostalgia, but the kind that honors God by telling the whole story, even when it's hard.

Works Cited

Orwell, George. 1984. Harvill Secker, 1949.

United States, Executive Office of the President. Executive Order 14253: Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History. 27 Mar. 2025. whitehouse.gov.

“Trump Signs Executive Order Accusing Smithsonian Institution of Spreading ‘Anti-American Ideology.’” Reuters, 27 Mar. 2025.

“Trump Orders Smithsonian Museums to Remove All ‘Divisive Narratives.’” People Magazine, 27 Mar. 2025.


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